Firefighter’s Daughter To Sue Owners Of Building Where He Died

Firefighter Edward Stringer was killed while battling a blaze in South Shore on Dec. 22, 2010. (CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) — The daughter of a fallen Chicago firefighter plans to announce on Wednesday that she’s suing the owners of the abandoned building where her father and another firefighter were killed last year.

WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports that Edward Stringer’s daughter, Jennifer, is calling for an aggressive move to hold the owners of abandoned properties accountable if something bad happens at their buildings.

Last December, Edward Stringer and fellow firefighter Corey Ankum were killed when a dilapidated roof collapsed on them while battling a fire at a long-abandoned laundry building. Nineteen other firefighters were injured in the collapse.

The city had cited the owners 14 times for building code violations and ordered them to either repair or demolish the structure. A federal investigation concluded that the building should have been identified and marked in some way as a potential public danger.

It had become a haunt for squatters who might have also set the fire.

Stringer also plans to announce a negligence lawsuit against the owners of the building.